Audio Engineer on Audio Engineers
Why do audio engineers make the audio decisions they do?
Attendees may experience 'ringing in the ears' after an event.
Of the audio engineers surveyed:
- 79% say attendees believe the effects are temporary,
- 53% say attendees believe the 'ringing' is normal when attending live events,
- 17% say attendees believe that public events are safe, and
- 18% believe attendees are ignorant about safety, don't care about potential damage, have a sense of invincibility, believe that high SPL is cool, or can be bragged about.
Responsibility:
Who do audio engineers believe is responsible for managing safe noise exposure at live events:
- 40% personal responsibility,
- 88% the audio engineer,
- 44% the Director or Music Director,
- 75% the event organiser,
- 34% the local City Council,
- 13% the Government, and
- 13% Other - artists, venue owner, crew, consultant.
Monitoring SPL:
46% of audio engineers use a meter to measure SPL at events. Of those:
- 44% use the correct monitoring scale to monitor average levels that relate to WHO and most health and safety recommendations
- 20% say their monitoring affects subsequent SPL
Hearing Management in Live-Sound
As protective measures at high SPL events to manage participant hearing, of the audio engineers surveyed:
- 74% believe there should be warnings on tickets,
- 39% believe there should be SPL Indicators,
- 84% believe events should provide hearing protection (earplugs),
- 74% believe there should be quieter zones, where 86% believe it is feasible to provide a consistency of tone throughout a venue with areas at a lower SPL that still retain good visibility
- 80% believe there should be streaming available to portable devices
Audio Engineer's 'mix' decisions are influenced by:
- personal hearing ability,
- training,
- skill,
- experience,
- musicality,
- focus,
- rest,
- equipment,
- source material,
- venue acoustic,
- stage 'volume',
- mix position,
- preparation time,
- fixes while mixing,
- target audience,
- tradition,
- peer pressure,
- expectation,
- conditioning,
- public response,
- employer's directive,
- musician's requests,
- personal responsibility, and
- legislative restrictions.
SC - Audio Engineer / Sound Design - ONce on this Island - NASDA
nd that fake smile you put on when the artist starts singing and you realise there’s nothing you can do to make that sound good
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